Writing Inspiration | #secretreader

@Tim

Writer of "Cataindar"

When did you join Wattpad?

I joined Wattpad in 2013, and started posting my story in April 2014.

Did anyone prompt you to join Wattpad?

Yes, I went to a writing conference, called When Words Collide, in Calgary, Alberta Canada. I went and saw a session led by Leach Crichton, about her experience with Wattpad.

I was someone that hadn't even finished a novel yet, but hearing about her success really inspired me and fired me up to join. When I did I didn't look back.

How did it feel like when you posted your first story on Wattpad?

Really cool. I posted the entire 84,000 word novel in one chapter and walked off into the sunset, expecting to log back in in a few days and be famous!

I came back and saw I had 0 reads, no one had noticed it. I started educating myself on Wattpad, finding other new writers whose books I really liked, making genuine friends and slowly my readership began to grow. After I think a month, I had 100 reads, then the next month I had 300. I was adding chapters three times a week to try and keep people engaged- and it worked! My book slowly began to climb the charts and people started to discover it.

Who/What influenced your writing?

I have so many! Brian Jacques, Pierce Brown, GRR Martin, Ian M Banks, Frank Herbet. Then for videogames it's Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age.

What inspires you to write your stories?

Well - as a writer, I feel like this is something I 'must' do. Like I love, love to create worlds and build some escapism for people. It makes me so happy that people can escape in my novels for a few hours and it will bring them some happiness.

What is your advice to new writers?

Finish your book. Finish it! Get the first draft done. Yes, it might not be perfect, but get it down - and don't mix editing in when you're creating your first draft.

Once your first draft is done, celebrate it. Go out and buy yourself a bottle of champagne or a cake or whatever and really savour that moment. Then take a breath... now the hard work begins.

What do you do when you have a Writer's Block?

I don't believe in writer's block at all. Everything can be solved in ass-in-chair time. The more you show up, the faster these problems get fixed. If you get stuck have a brainstorm, imagine the scene or the plot - or talk it through with a friend or ask on a forum. There are a LOT of distractions in today's world. Put your phone away in a drawer in another room. Give yourself an hour to just write.

I've spoken to alot of amazing Wattpad authors - check out my podcast at Tim's World of Wattpad and we talk a LOT more about the writing process!

By the courtesy of Tim

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